A glimmer of hope has come to the Samsung Lions, who had a red light on their starting rotation. Yang Chang-seop, who took the mound for the first time in 741 days, smoothly handled 5 innings, raising expectations for his next appearance.

Yang Chang-seop started as a pitcher in the away game against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 11th. It was his first starting appearance in 741 days since the game against the SSG Landers on June 1, 2023.

Manager Park Jin-man said before the game, "There is no limit on the number of pitches. If he pitches well, he will stay longer. If he can hold on until the 5th inning, it means we are in a tight situation," expressing his hope for Yang Chang-seop's strong performance.

With Won Tae-in (resting) and Denny Reyes (micro fracture on his right foot) removed from the first team roster, Yang Chang-seop, who stepped in as a substitute starter, pitched well with 5 innings, allowing 3 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, and 1 earned run. He reached a top speed of 151 km/h and mixed his curve, slider, and forkball effectively.

Kia assembled their starting lineup against Yang Chang-seop with second baseman Yoon Do-hyun, left fielder Lee Chang-jin, first baseman Oh Sun-woo, designated hitter Choi Hyung-woo, third baseman Patrick Wisdom, shortstop Park Chan-ho, right fielder Choi Won-jun, catcher Kim Tae-goon, and center fielder Kim Ho-ryeong.

It started off well. Yang Chang-seop retired Yoon Do-hyun (ground ball to third base), Lee Chang-jin (fly ball to right field), and Oh Sun-woo (ground ball to shortstop) in order.

In the second inning, Yang Chang-seop retired lead-off hitter Choi Hyung-woo on a fly out to center field but allowed a solo home run to Wisdom. On a 1B-0S count, he threw a second fastball (149 km/h), but it was hit out over the left-center fence. He then induced strikeouts from Park Chan-ho and Choi Won-jun, ending the inning.

In the third inning, Yang Chang-seop induced a ground ball from lead-off hitter Kim Tae-goon and gave up a single to Kim Ho-ryeong. He seemed to catch a breath after getting Yoon Do-hyun to fly out, but then allowed a walk to Lee Chang-jin, putting runners on first and second. He ended the inning by handling Oh Sun-woo's fly out to left field.

Yang Chang-seop shut down Choi Hyung-woo (ground ball to first base) and Wisdom (fly ball to second base) in the fourth inning. After getting a hit from Park Chan-ho with two outs, he struck out Choi Won-jun with a swinging strike.

In the fifth inning, he put lead-off hitter Kim Tae-goon on base with a hit by pitch. After getting Kim Ho-ryeong to fly out to the infield, he struck out Yoon Do-hyun on three pitches. He then got Lee Chang-jin to ground out to third base, ending the inning.

With a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, Yang Chang-seop handed the mound over to Kim Jae-yoon. It seemed he would become the winning pitcher for the first time in 1155 days since facing the Hanwha Eagles on April 13, 2022, but the bullpen allowed a reversal, leaving him with disappointment.

Samsung lost to Kia 3-6, but Yang Chang-seop's performance was a silver lining.

[OSEN]